Pop Pop Epistle #9 – About The Princess Bride

Dear Grandkids,

One of my all time favorite movies is The Princess Bride. Its been out about 30 years now but is still fun to watch. What makes it a favorite? Maybe because it starts out with a granddad reading a book to his grandson which is indeed something I love to do. Maybe because Andre the Giant likes to make up silly rhymes – which I also do many times. Maybe because the heroine of the story is named Buttercup. Or maybe because the word “mawage” is so much fun to say and the wedding scene is so much fun to watch.

I even got to start a wedding for your parent’s cousin Allison (your first cousin once removed so I am told) using the wedding scene from the movie – as well as doing a video skit at my church in which I played the pastor from this scene (which you can watch below).

But probably it’s a favorite because the movie has all the elements of a great story. It is a love story. It’s a story of adventure and drama and suspense. It’s a story that has a lot of humor in it. And it’s a story where good triumphs over evil. All of these elements are also found in The Bible – which is just one reason why The Bible is such a great book.

It is a love story – It is the story of God pursuing you and me with a relentless love. A love that is not quenched just because His beloved does not reciprocate His love.It is a story of adventure and drama and suspense – Pretty much from beginning to end you read all these mini dramas within The Drama that make the story so compelling.It’s a story that has a lot of humor in it – Numbers 22 tells a funny story about a talking donkey. Judges 3 is a hilarious story about the assassination of a king. The story of Eutychus in Acts 20 is quite comical. Just a few stories that show the funny side of a book that is to be taken very seriously.It’s a story where good triumphs over evil – The Bible is the ultimate thriller as we watch the bad guys getting the upper hand for much of the book only to have the hero, Jesus, come to the rescue with the kind of ending that no one saw coming.

The best thing about the story of The Bible is that it is a true story. A story that I hope you will immerse yourself in as you grow up. A Book that you will enjoy reading but even more important, a Book that will read you.